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On Cooking: A Textbook of Culinary Fundamentals
Attractively designed and extensively illustrated with color photographs, line drawings, charts, and sidebars, this contemporary introduction to cooking and food preparation focuses on information that is relevant to today's aspiring chef. Comprehensive and well-written, it emphasizes an understanding of cooking fundamentals, explores the preparation of fresh ingredients, and provides information on other relevant topics, such as food history and food science. This introduction to cooking outlines professionalism, food safety and sanitation, nutrition, recipes and menus, tools and equipment, knife skills, kitchen staples, dairy products, principles of meat, fish and vegetable cookery, garde manger, baking, and presentation. For Chefs, Restaurant Managers and others in the food service industry.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1994
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
September 24, 2024
This book helped me a lot to bake and I have already recommend it to my friends who wanted to bake.
February 10, 2011
We used this book for Food Prep 1 & 2. It isn't aimed at home cooks, but anyone who is interested in technique and the theory behind why you do things a certain way will get something out of it. There are some really good recipes as well. The chapter on mother sauces is worth the price of admission.
June 26, 2007
My bible during culinary school
February 23, 2007
This is the first cookbook I ever bought. It is a textbook on the western classical repertoir. Since it is written for culinary students, the recipes are in restaurant portions and don't skimp on butter and cream. I haven't read many other professional texts, so I can't say it's the best or the worst, but I think it gave me a good understanding of food and its preparation. Unless you want to put on 60 pounds (i speak from experience), you'll probably want to make only a fraction of each recipe. The creme brulee calls for 50 egg yolks!
May 29, 2017
An excellent book for learning the fundamentals of the culinary arts. This is a very concise book with over 750 recipes on top of tons of information. I recommend this to anyone who is interested in more than just simply messing around in the kitchen, but for one who really has a passion for cooking. I come back to this book all the time in my cooking (and baking) endeavors.
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August 18, 2011i think this book is perfect for a management students...
April 7, 2013
My first professional cookbook. Big, expensive, nostalgic. However The New Professional Chef is a much better book.
July 22, 2015
I have used this book enough times and read specific chapters to give it a "read" status. Great for technique and the recipes are amazing.
August 26, 2014
This was my bible while I was in culinary school years ago. It is very informative, clear and provides wonderful historical facts about food. I still refer to it to this day!
April 13, 2012
Very Good Book for Culinary Students.
January 2, 2025
This was the book for culinary school-I went on to study nutrition after getting some basics. I treasure this book snd the many lab hours that my classmates and I mulled over. From technique to sauces to heat conduction and knife skills, and so much more.
I do prefer the spiral bound, so I could use it flat open. Unfortunately, it was stolen soon after graduating. Who does that? Notes and all!
Buying another copy.
I do prefer the spiral bound, so I could use it flat open. Unfortunately, it was stolen soon after graduating. Who does that? Notes and all!
Buying another copy.
April 16, 2019
A good book that I had to read for my cooking class during college
June 21, 2020
Best unaffected cookbook ever - a LOT of good information and history on cooking. Just my go to for all things kitchen.
December 31, 2022
I've read about half of this book and quite like both the teachings and the recipes.
November 28, 2021
This is an AMAZING textbook and provides the science, history of cooking and presents valuable techniques and critical professional aspects of the working baker and pastry chef. I've been cooking since I was less than 10 yrs old. But this book provides me with an understanding of the hows and whys cooking works!
It's an extraordinary and very comprehensive text book / cookbook for culinary students and home bakers (like me).
I've been a home baker for decades and began watching my mother cook when I was little. She learned about the science of cooking in the late 40s in college. This book is ALL THAT and more!!
It's really a page turner and I dare ANYONE who reads this, NOT TO GAIN WEIGHT!! :-) More on this at the end.
After reading the whole thing, you will know SOOO MUCH MORE about cooking and food products used, you'll be very glad you bought this.
This book details all the WAAY COOL stuff behind all of your favorite desserts and just like a magician's spectacular trick is explained away, the recipes and techniques presented give you the confidence to make these amazing and head-turning treats yourself! I'm looking at you - chocolate croissants and chocolate eclairs!!
The book details the hows, whys and wherefores when it comes to the science of baking bread, sauces, pastries and about everything in the bake shop in general.
There are 21 chapters (with multiple appendices, a full glossary, with an overall index, plus a recipe index).
The book covers important aspects about a topic per chapter - like breads, then another chapter on laminated breads (puff pastries and Danishes, etc), a complete (and fascinating) chapter on chocolate (by a world famous pastry chef - Eddy Van Damme) plus a chapter on sauces, fruits, also a chapter on dietary needs and restrictions, plus everything in between. See pix of the table of contents.
Each chapter includes fascinating historical notes and important influencers and also useful and interesting tips for the bake shop owner regarding commercial products to aid in preparing items detailed in the chapter.
They also include excellent color photos throughout the book to illustrate a technique or a finished product.
Just a great book on the culinary arts to have on hand!!
And yes.. I gained considerable weight as I went on a two month homemade bread and butter bender.
I've baked homemade bread from scratch (no machine) for 40 yrs but just followed my mother's recipe and copied what she did. Now, armed with knowledge and the science behind what I was doing previously by-rote, I came up with my own 1/2 and 1/2 bread - half all purpose and half whole wheat flour. It makes for fantastic toast - 1/2 in thick toasted dark and a ton of butter… *sigh*. Hence the bender!
It seems that as a textbook, the purchase price for the hard-cover is just about right - waaay expensive! Sadly, this is the case for all college level text books of any quality so if you want a hardcopy (which I recommend), you need to suck it up and put down the $$.
I discovered this book because I was familiar with one of the authors - Chef Eddy Van Damme. Chef Eddy's work as a world class pastry chef and educator are well known. I found his recipes for making Belgian style dark chocolate truffles on his website. I followed his well documented (and interesting to read) recipe for making truffles and was 100% successful on my 1st try.
His website highlighted this book and that's why I bought it.
--
My purchase also came with a Windows 95 based CD with an old version MasterCook application along with a database of recipes. As a career senior s/w engineer and developer, I was able to make the app work on my Windows 10 laptop. I used Windows XP compatibility mode and also had to move the recipe files to the right folder but it works. The app is OK and recipe access works too but I don't really use the app. It was mostly to see if I could get it to work :-)
It's an extraordinary and very comprehensive text book / cookbook for culinary students and home bakers (like me).
I've been a home baker for decades and began watching my mother cook when I was little. She learned about the science of cooking in the late 40s in college. This book is ALL THAT and more!!
It's really a page turner and I dare ANYONE who reads this, NOT TO GAIN WEIGHT!! :-) More on this at the end.
After reading the whole thing, you will know SOOO MUCH MORE about cooking and food products used, you'll be very glad you bought this.
This book details all the WAAY COOL stuff behind all of your favorite desserts and just like a magician's spectacular trick is explained away, the recipes and techniques presented give you the confidence to make these amazing and head-turning treats yourself! I'm looking at you - chocolate croissants and chocolate eclairs!!
The book details the hows, whys and wherefores when it comes to the science of baking bread, sauces, pastries and about everything in the bake shop in general.
There are 21 chapters (with multiple appendices, a full glossary, with an overall index, plus a recipe index).
The book covers important aspects about a topic per chapter - like breads, then another chapter on laminated breads (puff pastries and Danishes, etc), a complete (and fascinating) chapter on chocolate (by a world famous pastry chef - Eddy Van Damme) plus a chapter on sauces, fruits, also a chapter on dietary needs and restrictions, plus everything in between. See pix of the table of contents.
Each chapter includes fascinating historical notes and important influencers and also useful and interesting tips for the bake shop owner regarding commercial products to aid in preparing items detailed in the chapter.
They also include excellent color photos throughout the book to illustrate a technique or a finished product.
Just a great book on the culinary arts to have on hand!!
And yes.. I gained considerable weight as I went on a two month homemade bread and butter bender.
I've baked homemade bread from scratch (no machine) for 40 yrs but just followed my mother's recipe and copied what she did. Now, armed with knowledge and the science behind what I was doing previously by-rote, I came up with my own 1/2 and 1/2 bread - half all purpose and half whole wheat flour. It makes for fantastic toast - 1/2 in thick toasted dark and a ton of butter… *sigh*. Hence the bender!
It seems that as a textbook, the purchase price for the hard-cover is just about right - waaay expensive! Sadly, this is the case for all college level text books of any quality so if you want a hardcopy (which I recommend), you need to suck it up and put down the $$.
I discovered this book because I was familiar with one of the authors - Chef Eddy Van Damme. Chef Eddy's work as a world class pastry chef and educator are well known. I found his recipes for making Belgian style dark chocolate truffles on his website. I followed his well documented (and interesting to read) recipe for making truffles and was 100% successful on my 1st try.
His website highlighted this book and that's why I bought it.
--
My purchase also came with a Windows 95 based CD with an old version MasterCook application along with a database of recipes. As a career senior s/w engineer and developer, I was able to make the app work on my Windows 10 laptop. I used Windows XP compatibility mode and also had to move the recipe files to the right folder but it works. The app is OK and recipe access works too but I don't really use the app. It was mostly to see if I could get it to work :-)
July 30, 2011
A beautiful, useful, encyclopedic, demystifying tome. A few years back, my partner encouraged me to take a six week, no grades, hands-on, evening cooking class that a nearby academy offers for us anybodies. Though intimidated at the idea and the cost, that was more than worthwhile. The chef teaching us recommends this book for her actual aspiring chef students and us home cooks alike.
October 21, 2019
Of all the baking textbooks I have read, this is the best of the bunch. Not only are baking and patisserie techniques explained step-by-step the book also breaks down the basics of every technique into its constitutive elements. It describes the chemistry of baking. The best for me was the breakdown of each process into a basic procedure. A beautifully designed textbook.
May 6, 2023
I have read 14 of the 23 chapters.
This is a book I am grateful to have in hard copy to keep! I love that it's not only FULL of recipes, but really explains the science and purpose behind things. Now I know why my efforts to make gluten-free, sugar-free muffins have always flopped... and I'm armed with the tools to make them better.
This is a book I am grateful to have in hard copy to keep! I love that it's not only FULL of recipes, but really explains the science and purpose behind things. Now I know why my efforts to make gluten-free, sugar-free muffins have always flopped... and I'm armed with the tools to make them better.
August 19, 2012
This was the textbook from my CUL101- Introduction to Foods class in culinary school. It covers a little of everything but is still very thorough, as it should be since it's huge. It is a great culinary text book and good foundation to build on.
September 12, 2007
This is the essential kitchen guide on how to cook any and everything.
January 13, 2008
my text book for baking one and two, I still use it
January 4, 2009
Fabulous book about cooking. Teaches you all the basics which is a lot more than you are probably thinking. Teaches you everything about everything in cooking. Great resource.
December 31, 2009
This is an excellent book if you are aspiring to be a chef. I have yet to find a recipe in this book that was not well liked or improperly measured.
May 30, 2009
Beautiful book for those seeking to understand the culinary side of the world. A shelf keeper, full of information from baking to braising to plating. Helped me through many dinner parties!
Want to read
June 13, 2010how i can cook good
February 1, 2011
Stocks, soups, beef, pork, lamb, seafood, fish, sauces, breakfast, eggs, produce.
February 1, 2014
Amazing text book and recipe book. Great instructions and step by step how tos. Amazing recipes with full color, which I greatly appreciate in cook books.
August 8, 2014
Used this book for my culinary class. Have lost of techniques and great recipes.
June 12, 2014
There seemed to be an abundance of mistakes, both in technique and in recipe yield. And some of the recipes were just bad. But all in all, 'twas a great textbook.
February 5, 2015
One of my favorite all around cookbooks, from my first day in culinary school until now, after 12 years of working in the field.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews